Davis explores options for Mace Boulevard farmland

Davis wants to take a close look at more land use options for 391 acres of farmland at its eastern border, land which the city has been working to put into conservation easement for three years.

Councilwoman Rochelle Swanson said she wants to see “a full range of options” for the land, including a possible business technology park.

The city owns the land. It bought it with Measure O money, which in Davis is used to conserve property as open space. Davis bought the land because it was on the market and available. The land was put up for sale three years ago by an out-of-state lender that foreclosed on a loan. Since then, the city has been working on a tight deadline schedule with the Yolo Land Trust to get a grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Services to put the land into a conservation easement.

But in that rush to make deadlines to get the grant money, other potential options for that land have not been explored fully, said Councilman Brett Lee. He wants to see what other options the city has with the property, which is just north of the Mace Boulevard interchange with Interstate 80.

The land, which has been called “Mace Curve” and “Leland Ranch,” is 75 percent prime farmland. It is also one of the few large pieces of land that could be developed into a technology business park. Davis business leaders and the chief executives of many Davis companies have said they need to have larger spaces to move into as they grow — or they will have to move out of town.

“This is not ‘build it and they will come,’” Swanson said. “This is ‘build it or they will leave.’”

The Council voted 4-1 to examine a full range of options at its Nov. 12 meeting. Mayor Joe Krovoza was the dissenting vote, saying the process of putting the land into conservation easement had been open and complete.

Michele Clark, executive director of the Yolo Land Trust said the trust had been successful in a highly competitive process to get $1 million to put the land into conservation, and that declining the money would reflect poorly on the trust in future grant applications in Davis and in all of Yolo County.